The killing of insurgents: whodunit?

I've written on multiple occasions on the sham nature of the so-called "exit
strategy" in Iraq, which suggests that Iraqi troops will gradually replace
American troops. Even if that were to happen, the chances that an Iraqi air
force will replace the American air force is nil, and it is American air
power that is responsible for most of the "successes" (i.e., the killing) in
Iraq.

Today's news is not only a case in point, but an object lesson in how the
American press tries to hide this fact from the American public. Here's one
story from Reuters, which states the facts simply:

U.S. air strikes kill 37 insurgents in w. Iraq

"The U.S. military said on Monday air strikes had killed about 37 insurgents
in the latest phase of an anti-al Qaeda operation near the Syrian border in
western Iraq and 25 insurgents had been captured."

I'm not even going to get into the usual question of whether all 37 dead
were actually "insurgents" and not civilians. Let's instead look at how AP
handled the story:

U.S., Iraqi Troops Kill 37 Insurgents

"U.S. and Iraqi troops launched a dawn assault Monday on another town near
the Syrian border and killed 37 insurgents, a U.S. statement said."

So, "U.S. and Iraqi troops" killed the insurgents, did they? I don't think
so, because later even in the AP story we read: "Five targets were struck by
coalition air strikes resulting in an estimated 37 insurgents killed." So
there wasn't a single insurgent killed by Iraqi troops, or even by U.S.
troops for that matter; they were all killed by the "coalition" air strikes.
"Coalition" is yet another misleading statement (this one apparently a
direct quote from the U.S. military); we know very well this was an American
air strike. As far as I know there isn't a single country flying offensive
air missions in Iraq other than the U.S.

The American press alway refers to those killed, or better stated, murdered, by the American led coalition forces as `The Insurgents`. To use this term in relation to those resiting the American and coalition forces is to help maintain the White House propaganda. Under International Law, the people of an illegally invaded country have a right to resist. The meaning of the word Insurgent as given in the Encarta Concise English Dictionary is as follows: "A rebel against authority or leadership, especially a member of a group involved in an uprising; rebellion against authority or leadership, especially against a government or ruler of a country." As the American led coalition forces have invaded Iraq illegaly, then under the same International Law, no government that an illegally occupying force sets up is legally representative of the people of that now occupied country. The claims by the Bush administration that elections have been introduced and a government formed are meaningless. Those resisting the illegal occupation are `Freedom Fighters`, not insurgents. If it is claimed that foreign fighters are coming into Iraq to help with the resistence, then is this any different than America leading a coalition force, comprised of differing countries? What makes America and it's coalition of foreign troups legal in an illegal occupation, and foreign resistence fighters illegal in a legal resistence. The duplicity of the Bush administration in it,s fervour to instigate this war has created the very situation Bush claimed America was going to save the world from. The world would be a safer place with American and coalition troops taken out of Iraq and Bush taken out of the White House.

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